The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 225, 2 September 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2.

The inextricable state of entanglement which political affairs appear to have got into in Wellington, if they go on much longer, will require to be unravelled by the same means which Oliver Cromwell adopted when he wiped out the “ Long Parliament ” by main force, and started with a clean sheet. The course pursued up to the present of wasting time squabbling over parties, will neither redound to the members’ own credit as politicians nor further the business of the country. Although it was apparent from the first that the country desired a change of Government, it was never contemplated that such a childish game of I’m the King of the castle would be played week after week by ninety-five representatives of a free country such as New Zealand is, the inhabitants of which return men to Parliament to conduct the affairs of state in the same manner as a merchant would manage his business, viz., with the idea of making it a success. Instead of that it appears that each representative looks upon himself as a prospective Premier and will continue to fight against any party which may get into power for the time being. Sir Julius has had his turn and failed; Mr. Thomson had a try and failed also; Sir George Grey had a chance to try, but gave up his opportunity as a waste of time. Then Major Atkinson was sent for, and formed a Cabinet which met with the same result as its predecessors. Then Mr. Waterhouse was said to have taken up the running, but no result has been announced, so that he must have either given up the task, or else thought it useless to proceed. Yesterday telegraphic information was received to the effect that Mr. Stout had been entrusted with the task. Perhaps Mr. Stout will profit by the experience of the last few weeks. At any rate, if he is successful in inaugurating an administration which is to stand it will have to be constructed on a very different basis to the one known as Sir Julius Vogel’s team. We care very little what member of the House holds the reins so long as a Government is formed which will get on with the business of the country. The necessity of coalition is obvious. It was clear when the Atkinson Government resigned at the commencement of the session that there would be great difficulty, if it was not absolutely impossible, to form a Ministry without the aid of several of those gentlemen. So far that opinion has proved correct. So far as can be gathered Major Atkinson did all in his power to bring about a satisfactory settlement of the difficulty, but was thwarted by the exorbitant demands of the Stout-Vogel party. It is difficult at present to discern the object of this dogged determination not to coalesce with what is unquestionably the largest party in the House, though it has been beaten by a temporary combination of the other sections. We cannot see that now the present Ministry have been defeated, the Stout-Vogel combination have a much better chance than before of succeeding. There appear to be further further troubles ahead, unless at the

eleventh hour those who rejected coalition see their way to a change of tactics. If a coalition be impossible, nothing remains but a dissolution. It is rumored that Mr. Stout has been promised a dissolution but we can hardly believe such to be the case, as there are still plenty of men quite as able a Mr. Stout in the House to whom the opportunity of forming a Ministry should be given. Why then should the power of dissolution be placed in the hands of Mr. Stout ? No ! the idea is too ridiculous. It has been made a boast of that the present House is the strongest New Zealand has ever had. But wherein lies its strength ? Is it in the power of members to play the fool ? Is it in the game of making Ministries and anon destroying them, like a child with its mud pies ? We see no other way in which so far its strength has been demonstrated. A great howl was made because a section of the last Parliament claimed a full honorarium for a short session, and thereby deprived the country of a large sum of money. But what is the present House doing—the finest House New Zealand has ever had forsooth ? What are they doing ? Not only robbing the country of its money, for there are thousands of pounds to pay while Parliament sits beside the amount of the honorarium, but they are also striving by every means in their power to deprive the Colony of what little prosperity is still languishing within it by their puerile mode of conduct. There is a truly beneficent office open to the conciliatory talents of whomsoever it may be that is capable of undertaking it. There is. wide room for the voice of the charmer, and much need of his charming wisely—so that the business of the country may not longer be impeded by the struggle of ambition to hold the reins, or the rocks be run upon by the ship of State, while the contest is maintained as to whom the captain shall be. And it may, perchance, prove fortunate for the country that genius, ever confident in itself as genius should be, and recognising the elevation above all its surroundings on which it stands, should act as the mediator, and bind together, anti combine all the jarring elements into one harmonious whole. Perhaps after all that genius may prove to be Mr. Stout, and if so our troubles will be at an end. Our contemporary the Tablet recently discoursed thuswise :—“ We do not care much as a rule about a play upon words; but when the thing is plain beyond all chance of escape—when it must be noticed, when it forces itself upon the eyes, and seems to have come directly down from heaven, since we know there is no region whence it might have come up,—that is settled this long time, and Tartarus has been completely exploded, almost perhaps as effectually as if it were with dynamite, —there is no use in trying to thwart fate and keep silence. All the Colony, then, has been calling out for a strong Ministry, and what is a strong Ministry but a stout Ministry ? It is as plain as a pike-staff ; all evolution has been rolling out to this point ever since the aboriginal fire-mist took the first twist, and who can deny that heredity has here received a most striking exemplification ? Nature itself has been the worker here, and there is nothing further for us to do but to sit down, folding our hands quietly, and await the necessary developments. Nature that has done so much, with the help of science, of course, will accomplish all the rest.” Of course every one who knows both the Tablet and Mr. Robert Stout, President of the Freethought Association will recognise just a faint gleam of sarcasm in this. We trust, however, that if Mr. Stout succeeds in forming a Cabinet that they will at least be allowed to bring down their policy. It will be 1 quite soon enough to condemn the measures and not the men. The country has had quite enough Parliamentary tomfooling for the remainder of this century, and they want work done for the balance of the time the representatives remain in Wellington. If the present deadlock is not at once removed the tenth Parliament of New Zealand, the “ strongest Parliament the Colony ever had ” will be referred to in history as the most childish combination in the world that ever took upon itself the task of playing at Government.